News Release

Jan. 13, 2009

Peace activist Arun Gandhi to deliver Distinguished Lecture

The Distinguished Lecture Series sponsored by the Office of Campus Activities will begin the spring portion of its 2008-'09 season at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, in the Performing Arts Center during an evening with Arun Gandhi, founder of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence and the grandson of statesman and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi.

All Northwest Distinguished Lecture events are free and open to the public.

Born and raised in apartheid-era South Africa, Arun Gandhi was sent at age 12 to live with his grandfather in India, where he observed first-hand that country's history-changing campaign for independence through nonviolent means.

The younger Gandhi went on to lead successful economic and social reforms in India before coming to the United States and founding the institute.

In seeking to continue his grandfather's legacy, Gandhi has worked to provide insight into one of history's most influential leaders while stressing the importance of non-violent political and social change.

The remaining Distinguished Lecture speaker for the spring 2009 trimester is John Bul Dau, Sudanese war survivor, who will speak at 8 p.m. Monday, March 16, also in the Performing Arts Center.

Featured in Christopher Quinn's documentary, "God Grew Tired of Us," Dau has experienced trials and hardships that most Americans would find difficult to imagine.

Born in war-torn Sudan, Dau became one of 27,000 "lost boys" driven from their villages when the government began attacking the ethnic minority population in the southern part of the country.

Forced to walk to refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, he faced starvation, disease and violence before humanitarian efforts brought him to the United States.

Currently studying public policy at Syracuse University, Dau has helped raise thousands of dollars in relief funds for his native country in the hope that Sudan will "become a place where people are welcome and hope is restored."

*****

For more information about the Distinguished Lecture Series and other programs sponsored by the Office of Campus Activities, go to www.nwmissouri.edu/getinvolved or call Angel McAdams Prescott, director of campus activities, at 660.562.1226 (ext. 1226 on campus).